Process for breaking petroleum emulsions



Patented ch. 21, IOZS. A

UNITED STTES MELVIN GROOTE, OF ST. LOUIS, AND

WILBUR C. ADAMS, OF'UNIVEBSITY CITY,

MISSOURI, ASSIGNOBS TO WM. S. BARNIGKEL & COMPANY, OF WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI. v v

rnocnss non BREAKING PETROLEUM nmoLsIoNs.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to the treatment of emulsions of mineral oil and water, such as petroleum emulsions, for the purpose of separating the oil from the water. 5 Petroleum emulsions are of the water inoil type and comprise fine droplets of natural occurring waters or brines. dispersed in a more or less permanent state throughout the oil which constitutes thev continuous phase of the emulsion. They are obtained from producing'wells and from the bottom of oil storage tanks and are commonly referred to as cut oil, roily oil, emulsified oil and bottom settlings. i

1 9 In our pending application for patent Serial No. 59,954, filed October 1, 1925,. we

have described a process for breaking or separating petroleum emulsions of the kind referred to, that is distinguished from prior processes used to break such emulsions, in

that it contemplates subjecting the emulsions to the action of atreating agent consisting of a mixture 'comprisin a condensation product containing a sulp o'-aromatic, soapforming acid in which the sulphonic group is joined directl to the non-carboxyl end of the aliphatic ydrocarbon chain.

We have discovered that when the treating agent contemplated by the process describedin our said pending application for patent is produced on a commercial scale by one of the methods of manufacture described in said application, that a mechanical mixture of allied bodies is obtained, which mixture, in addition to comprising a condensation product containing a suIpho-aromatic, soap-forming acid in which the sulphonic oup' is joined dirctly to the non-carboxyl end of the aliphatic hydrocarbon chain, also contains certain complex sulpho-aromatic, soap-forming bodies, which, while lacking the distinguishing characteristic of the treating agent contemplated by our said process, are of equal or greater value as a ents for treating petroleum emulsions.

erefore, we desire to protect by this application for patent a process for breaking or separating emulsions of mineral oil and water that is restricted to the use of a treat ing agent consisting of a'mixture that contalns such complex sulpho-aromatic, 15v pforming bodies;

In view of the difiiculty of analyzing such complex organic bodies to determine their Application filed June 17, 1926. Serial No. 116.134.

chemical composition, we will define the 56 treatlng agent contemplated by our present process by the methodemployed to produce said agent, as this will enable those skilled 1n the art to understand and practice our invention, and moreover, will clearly define 60 the metes and bounds of the invention. i

The method employed to produce the treating agent used in our present process, broadly stated, consists in condensing the, 'sulphonate" of an aromatic hydrocarbon with' an hydroxylated, soap-forming body in the presence of a dehydratingagent. Bythe expression soap-forming body it is meant to denote those organic groups which comblue with soluble hydrates to give soap-like detergents. These substances include fatty substances, such as ricinoleic' acid; hydroxylated resinoussubstances, such as hydroxyrosin; and hydroxylated, naphthenic acid, such as may be found in petroleum sludges.v All of these substances are characterized by them ability to combine with alkali to produce soap. They. are all characterized by containing the hydroxy group in the noncarboxyl position of the hydrocarbon chain. We prefer to use fatty substances, due to their ease of reaction. Specificallyfwe prefer to use h-ydroxystearic acid produced from oleic acid.

The aromatic substances employed may "be 35' one or more of the common coal tar substances, such as benzene, toluene, zylene, cresol, phenoli, naphthalene, naphthol, anthracene, tetralin, etc. The production of the sulphonateof these substances is well known commerlcally, and is aknown state of the art. In essence itconsists in subjectin the sub. stances "to the action of sulphurlc acid of variousstrengths at various temperatures and in various de ees of excess reagent. Poly-sulphonic aci s such as M or tri-sulphonic acids are entirely suitable for our process. t

, As a specific example, the preferred procedure is'to first convert phenol into phenol- 10o mono-sulphonate and convert oleic acid into hydroxystearic acid, then mix these two materials-in molecular proportions, and thereafter subject said mixture to the action of any suitable dehydrating agent, such as sulphuric acid.

The above reactions produce acondensatron product. The BXPI'GSSIOIl COIldQHSiLtiOII product has been used because the chemical reactions involved in part contemplate dehydration as is illustrated in the formation of an ester or a lactone'. Said substances may be of an acidic character, and in using such products, we prefer to use the watersoluble salts obtained by neutralization of the acidic material by means of caustic soda, potash or ammonia. Howeve the Waterinsoluble salts, such as calci r or magnesium salts, or the esters, such as the methyl or ethyl ester, can be employed. These materials can be used directly in undiluted form or in dilute form, and when diluted, water or oil is the most desirable solvent to use.

In practising our process the treating agent, consisting of a substance of the char acter above described, is brought into contact with an emulsion, either by introducing the treating agent into a well in which a petroleum emulsion is being produced; introducing the treating agent into a conduit through which a petroleum emulsion is flowing; introducing the treating agent into a tank in which a petroleum emulsion is stored, or introducing the treating agent into a container that holds'the sludge obtained from the bottom of an oil storage tank. The treating agent can even be introduced into a producing well in such a way that it will become mixed with water or oil that is emerging from the ground'before said water and oil enter the barrel o'fthe well pump or the tubing up through which said water and oil flow to the surface of the ground. After any of the various treatments above referred to the emulsion is allowed to stand in a quiescent state at a suitable/temperature, so as to permit the water or brine to separate from the oil, or it may be passed through a variety of apparatus, such as hay tanks, gun barrels, etc., such as are now commonly used for breaking petroleum emulsions. It may even be passed through a heatin apparatus," a centrifugal or electrical de ydrator, or an emulsifying device, with or without the addition of water to the emulsion, or it may be subjected to action by a-combination of two or more of the devices above referred to.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: i

1. A process for breaking or separating ylated 'drocarbon to the action of a dehydrating agent.

2. A process for breaking or separating etroleum emulsions, characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of a mixture comprising a condensation product containing a sulphoaromatic, soap-forming acid and other com-- plex organic bodies, produced .by subjecting an hydroxylatedfatty acid, and a sulphomate of an aromatic hydrocarbon to the action of a dehydrating agent.

3. A process for breaking or separating etroleum emulsions, characterized by subecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of a mixture co prising a condensation product containing tie salts of a sulpho-aromatic, soap-forming acid and other complex organic bodies, produced by subjecting anhydroxylated fatty acid and a sulphonate of an aromatic hydrocar bon, to the action of a dehydrating agent.

4. A process for breaking or separating petroleum emulsions, characterized by sub-- ectlng the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting of a mixture comprising a condensation product containing the watersoluble salts of a' sulpho-aromatic, soapforming acid and other complex organic bodies, roduced by subjecting an hydroxatty acid and a sulphonate of an aromatic hydrocarbon, to the action of a dehydrating agent. i

5. A process for breaking or separating petroleum emulsions, characterized. by subecting the emulsion to the action of a treating agent consisting ofa mixture comprising a condensation product containing the ammonium salts of a sulpho-aromatic, soapforming acid and other complex organic bodies, produced bysubjecting an hydroxylated fatty acid and a sulphonate of an aromatic hydrocarbon, to the action of a dehydrating agent.

MELVIN DE GROOTE. WILBUR o. ADAMS. 

